Mapbox MCP Server

Mapbox integration for MCP servers

Local serverstdioTypeScript

What is the Mapbox MCP server?

Mapbox integration for MCP servers. Exposed over MCP by the mapbox mcp server, that capability becomes something an assistant can invoke while it works, not something you go and do afterwards.

What it actually does

  1. mapbox_matrix_by_places - Calculate travel time and distance matrices between places using their names - Inputs: - places (string[]): Array of place names (2-25 places) - profile (optional): "driving", "walking", "cycling" - annotations (optional): "duration", "distance", "duration,distance" - language (optional): Two-letter language code - sources (optional): Indices of source places - destinations (optional): Indices of destination places - Returns: - Geocoding results for each place - Matrix of durations and/or distances - Any errors that occurred during processing

Its toolset

Everything the assistant can do here goes through one of these:

  • Inputs — - coordinates ({latitude: number, longitude: number}[])
  • Returns — route details with steps, distance, duration
  • Prerequisites — The Prerequisites tool exposed by this server
  • Structure — In mapbox-mcp-server, we use the following structure to manage the server's handlers:

Configuration

You will need one environment variable: MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

  • Node.js 16 or higher - TypeScript 4.5 or higher - A valid Mapbox API key

Adding it to your client

Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client. The configuration blocks on this page cover the common clients.

When to reach for it

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Mapbox's toolset — Inputs, Returns, Prerequisites and 1 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by AidenYangX; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

We check each listing at SyncDev against the project's documentation before it goes live — if something here drifts out of date, it is a bug worth reporting.

Caveats

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the mapbox mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
Inputs- coordinates ({latitude: number, longitude: number}[])
Returnsroute details with steps, distance, duration
PrerequisitesThe Prerequisites tool exposed by this server.
StructureIn mapbox-mcp-server, we use the following structure to manage the server's handlers:

How to install the Mapbox MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mapbox-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mapbox-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

  • Node.js 16 or higher - TypeScript 4.5 or higher - A valid Mapbox API key
VariableDescriptionRequired
MAPBOX_ACCESS_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Mapbox to Inputs.
  • Use Mapbox to Returns.
  • Use Mapbox to Prerequisites.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Mapbox to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 4 tools (Inputs, Returns, Prerequisites, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Mapbox directly.